Early morning, 19 March 1944. Tanks manned by New Zealanders, Indians and Americans launch a daring attack along a narrow mountain track on German positions north of Monte Cassino. So began one of the most audacious Allied attempts to break through the Gustav Line and advance on Rome ? and it almost succeeded. Yet the extraordinary story has seldom been told, and it has never been told before in the vivid detail Jeffrey Plowman brings to this new account. Using operational orders, combat reports, unit diaries, post-battle photos from private and public archives and the graphic personal accounts of those who took part, he describes the construction of Cavendish Road and the course of the entire operation that followed. The planning for the attack and the men involved are described in a gripping and clear-sighted way, as is the attack itself ? its initial rapid success and its ultimate failure. Eighty years later Jeffrey Plowman reveals exactly what happened and shows how and why this bold thrust against the German strongpoints at Monte Cassino, which could have turned the course of the battle, ended in retreat. His book also features a visitor's guide that covers the length of Cavendish Road from the village of Caira to Massa Albaneta, linking each spot with the events described in the narrative. AUTHOR: Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession who has had a keen interest in military history for over 45 years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armour and armoured units, extending his interest into the operations of the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Mediterranean theatre in World War II. He has published over twenty five books on these subjects and co-authored a numerous articles in After the Battle and Wheels and Tracks magazines. He has published four books with Pen and Sword: War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941, Monte Cassino. Armoured Forces in the Battle for the Gustav Line, Greece 1941: The Death Throes of Blitzkrieg and Tank Attack at Monte Cassino. The Cavendish Road Operation 1944.
